Truphone Commissions CCMI Report on Mobile Roaming Costs

According to a release, in a report commissioned by Truphone, a mobile operator, CCMI found that as the populations of international travelers grow, business organizations of all sizes say they feel compelled to choose between two evils:
-Suffer with standard international roaming options and pay extraordinary charges to allow subscribers to continue using their mobile devices just as they would in their home markets.

Results include:
-As with the Fortune 1000, 34 percent of midmarket and enterprise companies spend more than $1,000 per month per user on international wireless costs, while 15 percent spend more than $2,500 per user per month.

-52 percent of companies surveyed have a specific company mandate in place to reduce their international roaming costs.

The CCMI report said that changing behavior can be onerous for users not adept at swapping out SIM cards and changing network settings.

"Given that most international travelers are on important business, as evidenced by their companies justifying the considerable expense associated with sending them abroad, neither option will suffice in the long term," the CCMI report said, "organizations seeing their international wireless costs escalate should seek innovation in this market."
The CCMI report cites international network service resale plans combined with wireless expense management software and cloud services that can hold down costs of international mobile roaming.

The report said: "Newer, emerging global carrier options, such as services enabled by SIMs with multiple international mobile numbers and mobile subscriber identities, are making it possible for companies to strike that all-important balance between connectivity and cost. Such multi-identity SIMs, in combination with network intelligence and negotiated rates, let employees use their existing wireless devices abroad just as they would in their home country so that usability and productivity remain consistent. This approach usually cuts international roaming bills by an estimated 30 percent to 90 percent, eliminating the high anxiety about bill shock."
"For business executives traveling internationally, Truphone offers a compelling solution," said Gary Cohen, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Truphone Americas. "Our mobile innovations and 'least cost roaming' approach enable international travelers to stay connected and productive while abroad without the fear of bill shock."
Truphone is a mobile operator.